Chapter 364: Public Opinion Ferments

Without any twists, the Magic Equipment assessment entered its second day of the process.

Of course, saying there were no twists is only true in terms of the process running smoothly; as for the atmosphere at the venue and the subsequent discussions, the pot had long since boiled over—everyone was discussing: what kind of place is Fang Ting exactly?

If one could call it a coincidence that the magical girl codenamed Xiaojin took first place in the first item of the practical assessment, it became impossible to ignore when the most brilliant performer in the second item was also a magical girl from "Fang Ting."

Even though this item has not truly ended and there are still variables for the final day, this unprecedented "SS" grade is destined to be the glory of the magical girl codenamed Bai Mei. Anyone with a discerning eye knows that even if other candidates could defeat her, so what? The important thing about the grade given by the Kingdom is not the rating itself, but their willingness to create a separate tier for it! How could such a level of importance be shaken by simple exam scores?

To be more realistic, when a magical girl's magic equipment earns such a rating from the Kingdom's top brass, it no longer matters what scores she gets in other items; even if she failed every other item, the Kingdom could never abandon a talent with such potential. Lack of knowledge can be tutored, lack of combat experience can be trained, but talent is something that cannot be obtained through later effort.

In summary, once everyone realized that this magical girl named Bai Mei was destined to be the focus of this assessment, "what is going on with this place called Fang Ting" became the core of the issue.

And as it happens, there is a widely circulated rumor that can serve as the answer to this question:

Fang Ting is the place where Cornflower lives in seclusion, and also the place where the former strongest Flower Card—Sakura—was stationed and buried.

These two reasons alone are enough to cast a legendary aura over this previously obscure little city.

Who Cornflower is, is a topic that requires no elaboration in the Magic Kingdom. As a legendary magical girl who broke the Kingdom's fastest promotion record and once became a "war hero" in the Garden Defense Battle, her achievements are indisputable. But what truly makes people remember her, and even remain obsessed with her, is her pioneering act of refusing to take office as the Sapphire Scepter.

This is a move that most people in the Kingdom would never dare to imagine; in their view, perhaps only those from the material world, who have no concept of the Queen's authority, could commit such an absurd act. Twenty years ago, at the moment Cornflower openly turned against the Royal Court, most people felt her approach was unwise. People either shook their heads and sighed, lamenting that a magical girl who should have been great had cut off her own future; or they mocked and ridiculed her, feeling that witnessing the fall of a young and arrogant "genius" was a source of amusement.

However, the development of events was far different from their expectations.

First was Cornflower herself; no one expected that this war hero, who had been in the limelight, would vanish instantly, disappearing without a trace after rejecting the Royal Court's olive branch. No one knew where she went, to the point that for the next twenty years, even guessing Cornflower's whereabouts became a field of study.

Second was the Royal Court, which remained surprisingly silent regarding the follow-up handling of Cornflower. Logically, if the Royal Court had truly had a direct conflict with Cornflower to save face, and had arrested, imprisoned, or exiled her, they would inevitably have had to make the fate of such a "rebel" public to serve as a warning to others. But the fact is, after Cornflower rejected the appointment of the Sapphire Scepter and disappeared, the Royal Court not only did not retaliate, but even unilaterally bestowed upon Cornflower and her teammate Sakura the honor of "Lifelong Magical Girl."

This was very intriguing.

Furthermore, in the twenty years since, the Queen seemed to have no intention of appointing a new Sapphire Scepter, the Magic Affairs Institute and Helmwein City remained under decentralized power, and Cornflower's teammate Sakura was active in the material world as the "strongest"... these various signs made people's imaginations run wild.

—Could it be that this Cornflower might actually return one day?

Many people concerned with the Kingdom's power circles developed similar speculations.

And the more this was the case, the more tight-lipped people became about the topic, because if there were a day when Cornflower returned, then neither she herself, nor the Royal Court and the Queen, were people they were qualified to discuss. Coupled with Sakura's growing reputation—though she had few friends and allies due to her low-key conduct—her influence gradually began to radiate from the Investigation Institute to other circles. No one was foolish enough to think there was no connection between Sakura and Cornflower; no one said it explicitly, but everyone had tacitly accepted her status as part of the "Cornflower faction."

Thus, this topic gradually turned from casual tea-time chatter into a political issue that could only be discussed behind closed doors. Even the death of Sakura in recent years was speculated by many busybodies to be the result of political infighting. These people generally felt that the Emerald or Purple Diamond factions had developed a dispute with the increasingly established Cornflower faction, and that Sakura had died in an armed conflict between these factions...

Finally, this topic was completely ignited at the end of last year due to Cornflower's appearance in Fang Ting.

This marked the end of claims like "Cornflower has retired," "Cornflower is dead," "Cornflower is being secretly held by the Kingdom," and "Cornflower has married into the Royal Court," all of which were proven false. And the possibility of the claim that "Cornflower will return" became increasingly high.

Consequently, when the city of Fang Ting was linked to Cornflower, then whether it was Bai Mei, Xiaojin, or the yet-to-perform Snowdrop and Gentian, they would naturally be seen by people as "under the tutelage of Cornflower." Of course, more rigorous people tended to believe that among these magical girls from Fang Ting, there were also successors of Sakura, but since Sakura herself had passed away and her status as part of the Cornflower faction had long been established during her lifetime, there was no need to distinguish too much.

Then, to translate that further, it meant "Cornflower's students" had already taken first place in two items of the practical assessment.

This really made people think.

Or rather, there was simply too much content here that sparked imagination, enough to write several thick volumes of conspiracy theories.

For what reason did Cornflower reappear? For what reason did the Royal Court remain silent? Did other Sapphire Scepters play a role in this? And was Sakura's death truly the result of these power struggles?

The young magical girl candidates were discussing the strength of the "Fang Ting Squad," the dark horse, while the veteran magical girls and citizens were all immersed in political topics, unable to extricate themselves. Two simple assessment scores had already ignited a wave of discussion throughout the entire city of Lu Ennuo.

—"So, which of these strange rumors were made up by you?"

Early in the morning, before heading to the exam venue, the candidate "Gentian"—or rather, the Cornflower herself, as discussed by the public—was still in the office of the Magic Affairs Institute branch, squinting her eyes as she asked her subordinate: "I can roughly understand your purpose in spreading various conspiracy theories years in advance; it was to pave the way for my return. But what about these things involving the Research Institute? Why promote that Emerald and I are political enemies?"

"Because the outside world generally believes that the Investigation Institute is our ally, and the fact that Lord Crimson of the Civil Governance Institute dislikes power is also a deeply ingrained persona."

Zhexhelan smiled and explained: "The point of a rumor is to conform to the facts in people's hearts, not to go against them."

"Is that the reason you spread that I married and started a family in the Royal Court, and even became a mistress?" Cui Que drooped her eyelids.

"……The time is almost up, we should head to the exam venue, Your Excellency." Zhexhelan turned around after a moment of silence.

"Don't change the subject."

"We can discuss this on the way, Your Excellency."

"I remember your itinerary for today; you aren't going the same way as me."

"Yes, so please allow me to take my leave first and let my deputy discuss this with you."

"Get back here."

And so, in the end, Zhexhelan herself was honestly given a lecture.